Don't ask Questions
by AlsoI'mBatman
Summary: Bruce keeps walking in to see his little Robins getting along. He has no idea how it keeps happening, but doesn't ask questions. Series of one-shots around Bruce and all the Robins at various ages. (No slash!)
1. Wake up, Jason

**Wake up, Jason.**

**A/N: This story is going to be a series of one-shots! If you have ideas I would love to hear them, and I will give you credit in the chapter if I use it. Thanks!**

"Jay?" Dick opened his eyes and blinked a few times to wake up. "Jason?" He repeated the question. The fifteen year old had been studying all night and had fallen asleep with his face on a textbook, when he was interrupted by the thirteen year old. Jason had crawled over to the couch and sat beside Dick, and woke Dick up when he had layed his head on Dick's shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Dick was assuming Jason had a nightmare. Jason took his head off Dick's shoulder and stood up. "I'm sorry! It's okay, you can just sit here, I won't ask questions." Dick frantically tried to keep Jason, but he was already moving to the next room. Dick thought he had pressured Jason to much into sharing and chased him away.

"Jay-bird, it's okay." Dick followed the boy. He was starting to feel like he was calling a dog. _Jason, heeere Jason._ His target stopped in the middle of the kitchen. He moved around the teen so he could look at him in the face.

"Uh... are you... are you okay?" He tried to read the unreadable expression on Jason's face. It was blank, and his eyes were glazed.

"How, uh, how much...?" Jason trailed off sleepily.

"Jason are you sleepwalking?" Jason walked sluggishly up to the refrigerator and opened it.

"How many...? I need another pillow," Jason was murmuring. Dick figured out what was going on. Jason _was _sleepwalking. He put his hand on the thirteen year old's back and guided him back to the living room.

Dick sat the boy down and went off to the closet, where he knew Alfred kept spare pillows. When he got back, he held the pillow in front of Jason. Jason did not respond, so he gently put it in the boy's arms. Jason abruptly snatched the pillow from him and layed his head on the other end of the couch.

"You want to sleep down here, Baby Bird?" Jason did not reply, so Dick shrugged to himself. He sat on the couch and leaned against the opposite headrest from Jason. It wasn't a few minutes later, when Dick was nearing complete sleep, when he felt pressure on his chest. He cracked open his eye to see that Jason had moved the pillow to the center of Dick's chest and layed down.

"Goodnight, Baby Bird. Sweet dreams." _And please don't murder me in the morning._ Dick added silently in his head.

()()()

Bruce shuffled downstairs for his morning coffee. No day was complete without coffee. He stretched at the end of the stairs and lazily made his way to the kitchen, but was stopped short. As he passed the living room he noticed Dick. _Probably fell asleep studying again. Maybe if he didn't take all advanced classes he could do something other than have his face in a textbook... well when he's not kicking the snot out of criminals..._

That is when he noticed another shape on the other side of Dick. He blinked his groggy eyes and looked again. The left side of his nose twitched in a mix of confusion and anger. _I swear if that's a girl..._ He marched over to the couch, but grew considerably more quiet when he saw that the other person on the couch was not a girl, but Jason.

He stared for a few seconds at the adorable sight, before turning back to the kitchen, where Alfred was waiting with his coffee. _I don't know what's going on there, but if they're able to sit in the same room as each other without killing each other, I'm not asking questions._

"Everything alright, sir?"

"Ya, it is," Bruce answered happily.


	2. Wake up, Grayson

**Wake up, Grayson.**

Jason raised an eyebrow at the puddle of drool Dick was leaving on the table.

Jason was at the Manor strictly on business. After a mission that he had reluctantly agreed to go along with, it was incredibly late when they got back to the Batcave and he had somehow ended up staying the night.

"Come on, Jay-bird, please?" Dick had begged him to come along in his most pitiful voice,"Damian can't come on this mission because he's to young and I really don't want him exposed to this kind of thing, ecspecially after last time... and I can't call Tim because he's off somewhere with the Titans. Can't you just do your big brother a favor, just _once_."

Jason had tried to look angry for a few moments, choosing to attempt to glare daggers into Dick's head instead of answering. Then Dick tilted his chin up slightly and begged him with a look that said 'I-will-look-like-a-kicked-puppy-if-you-refuse' and Jason spent the next few moments attempting to look passive before looking away and sighing.

"Fine, but you owe me," he grumbled. Dick immediately lost the pout.

"Of course I will! You're the greatest!" Jason wondered if Dick pouted on purpose or if he really didn't know what he was doing. He asked Bruce once, but even the World's Greatest Detective shook his head in exasperation. _The world may never know._ Jason thought with dry humor.

They had completed the mission successfully and Alfred had somehow convinced him to stay the night in his old room.

Where Dick used his innocent blue eyes to convince, Alfred flat out used some sort of mind control. At least that is what Jason always assumed. Alfred always seemed to word things correctly to the point where he'd start to wonder if it was his idea or Alfred's idea to start with.

And _that_ was why Jason was currently tapping his fingers on the table across from Dick.

Damian walked in with half-lidded eyes and a blanket over his shoulders. He took in a sharp intake of breath and jumped a little when he layed eyes on Jason.

"Why are you still here, Todd?"

"It was late when we got back from the mission last night, you little brat," Jason insulted without looking at the boy. Damian narrowed his eyes at the older man.

"The mission that I was left out of." If looks could kill, Damian would most certainly be a master assasain, and Jason would be dead... again...

"Ya," Jason said dryly. He really didn't want to have a conversation with the boy at the moment, and could already feel the headache coming on.

"I'm not a child, I was perfectly capable of helping Grayson with the mission myself."

"Sure, kid."

"'Kid' is synonymous with 'child' you idiot," Damian retorted. Jason almost snorted. He studied Damian from head to toe. From the messy bed-hair, to the gray t-shirt, to the Batman pajama pants, and bare feet. The boy still had the blanket wrapped around his shoulders. Sure looked like a kid to him.

"Whatever." Jason returned to eating his cereal. He didn't particularly care for the kind of cereal, but couldn't find anything else in the cabinets, and Alfred was strangely absent, probably at the store. Damian sat down next to Dick, who still had his head resting on his arms, fast asleep. Jason ignored Damian's glaring for a few moments and continued to eat his cereal.

"Are you going to eat something, or just continue checking me out?" Jason said without looking up from his bowl. He heard grumbling in arabic that he didn't understand before Damian got up and went to the cabinet. He heard the boy pouring himself a bowl of cereal. Jason was halfway done with his own bowl when Damian sat down again.

Damian was plotting. He hated feeling useless, which is exactly how he felt when Grayson had told him that he was not allowed to go on the mission. Even though he remembered the last case that was similar to this one, and really didn't want to see anything like it ever again, he couldn't help but feel angry. He was even more furious when he found out that Todd was being his replacement. He had to find a way to wipe the smirky look off the older man's face. A sick thought crossed his mind, and he sneered.

Jason looked up for a moment, and was slightly disturbed to see that Damian was giving him a twisted grin. Even he admitted that the look was unnerving to see on a child, especially one that he knew had advanced training in the art of dealing pain to others. Damian quickly wiped the look from his face once he saw that Jason was looking at him.

Dick shifted in his seat. He wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth and turned his head the other way, but he was still asleep. Damian narrowed his eyes at Jason. If he was going to do this, he would have to act soon.

"Wake Grayson up, why don't you? He's getting drool on the table," Damian suggested to Jason, as he took his partially eaten bowl to the sink.

"Why can't you, twerp?"

"Because you're closer, imbecile." It was technically true, as Damian was across the room at the sink, and Jason was just across the table. Jason shook his head and rolled his eyes. He would be leaving soon anyways. As he stood up and crossed the table, he missed how Damian was watching intently from the other side of the room.

"Dick, wake up," Jason commanded without touching his older brother. He got no response other than an unintelligable mumble. He slowly reached his hand out to touch Dick's shoulder.

"Di-" As soon as Jason's hand made contact with Dick's shoulder blade, the man shot upright and grabbed Jason's hand. Quicker than Jason could breath, Dick had twisted Jason's arm to where Jason was closest to the table, he used his other arm to smack Jason's head into the surface.

"Ow, what the hell!" Jason shouted. He rubbed his cheekbone, which had hit the table first and the hardest. He was positive that it would bruise. He heard Damian laughing. The little brat knew this would happen! He turned to yell at the little prankster, but instead caught the expression on Dick's face. Dick looked still half asleep, and extremely terrified, he was backing away quickly.

Dick backed up until he smacked into the counter, and then he let himself sink to the floor. Damian stopped laughing. He only meant for Jason to get mildly hurt, not to traumatize Dick. Jason crossed the room and knelt down to his older brother.

"Are... are you okay?" Damian went to the other side of Dick and knelt down as well. Dick had put his head in his hands and was working on contolling his breathing.

"Uh-huh, gosh I'm sorry, Jay," Dick said breathlessly.

"It's okay, I should've known that you wouldn't want to be woken up like that." Jason almost surprised himself at how sympathetic he sounded.

Dick tried to stop hyperventalating, but it wasn't working. He couldn't stop the feeling of overwhelming panic. He had been having a disturbing dream: half visions of the past. He saw the Joker with a knife to Jason's throat when he had been Robin. He saw Tim holding a gaping wound on his chest. He saw Bruce limping out of the Batmobile after breaking his leg. All of the horrible visions were half-formed terrors when Jason had put a hand on his shoulder.

He automatically had taken a defensive state and hit his 'attacker.' He had a history of waking up violently. He knew that Damian was aware of this fact. After all he had been there when Dick had unintentionally broken Bruce's nose. Dick's mind was still whirling, and he was slowly drifting into a state of complete panic when he felt a warm weight on his back, anchoring him to the present.

Jason had layed his hand on his brother's shoulders. He and Damian sat on either side of Dick and let him breathe. When he seemed mildly calmed, Jason remembered that he should be angry at the youngest Robin.

"Why did you let me do that? Don't act like you didn't know he would react that way!" Jason was surprised when Damian didn't reply. _Does the little twerp actually look... guilty?_

"It's... it's okay, It just startled me..." Dick defended his little brother.

"He did it on purpose!" Dick looked at Damian to confirm Jason's accusation.

"Dami?" Dick whispered, "Why would you do that?" The hurt tone in Dick's voice caused Damian's eyes to water, not that he would ever admit it.

"I... I did not think of how it would hurt you... I just wanted you to hurt Todd."

"That's not very nice either, Damian." Damian looked down again, this time there was no doubt that it was in shame.

"But... it is not fair that Todd got to go on a mission with you and I didn't!" Damian defended himself.

"That doesn't mean you can hurt people."

"Ya, you little snot!" Jason added unnecissarily.

"Jason," Dick chastised,"Why can't both of you get along? It hurts everyone around you."

"Fine, I'm sorry that you are such a little brat and have no sense of humanity," Jason mock-apologized to Damian.

"And I am sorry that your skills lack so much that you couldn't even dodge an attack from a half-asleep human being," Damian snarked back.

"Boys!" Dick shouted, sounding exactly like a mother on a sitcom when she was dealing with unruly children,"Please apologize to each other, nicely." The two other boys gave giant sighs of irritation.

"I am sorry, Damian, that I have been less than... hospitable," Jason grounded out. Damian sat with his arms crossed, silently.

"Damian," Dick gave him a no-nonsense look.

"I... apologize to you Jason Todd." Bruce had walked into the room when the last sentence was being ground out. Bruce stopped mid-step and stared at his boys. They were a strange sight. Dick was wearing a stern look, Jason was pouting and Damian was scowling, but they were all still on the floor, leaning against the cabinets.

"Did... did Damian just...?" Bruce never stuttered, but this was a rare occasion.

"Apologize? Yes," Dick answered proudly.

Bruce was dumbfounded. He continued to stare at the boys on the ground for a moment.

"Oh! We're on the floor because-"

"No, you know what? I don't really mind. You got Damian to apologize, so..." Bruce waved his hand through the air at the end of his sentence. He leaned over the boys to get his coffee and they looked up at him in confusion. Usually he wanted answers for everything. He poured his coffee into a travel mug and continued to the door.

He looked back at his three sons, who were still on the floor, and they stared at each other for a minute. Bruce shook his head and sighed before leaving.

_Don't ask questions, Bruce._ He said to himself.

**So like I said in the first chapter, I would love to hear your ideas. Not all of the ideas have to be funny (I'm already planning on some serious chapters). Thank you for reading! Reviews make my day:)**


	3. Comforting the Black Sheep

**Comforting the Black Sheep**

Dick jumped from his desk after hearing a thump coming from the roof. _What the...?_ The noise came again. _It sounds like a bird hitting the window_... Dick would later look back at the thought and realise the irony in it.

Dick was at the Manor, downstairs in the library. He had been quietly reading at the desk by the giant window. Dick was visiting on one of the weekends he was free, it was only a few months after him and Batman discovered the Red Hood's identity as Jason Todd, and he knew Bruce wasn't coping well with the fact that his son turned rougue, so he made it his personal mission to come over often to make sure Bruce didn't fall into a complete pit of despair.

Now, he was cautiously making his way over to the window. _Thump!_ It was too dark to see what had caused the noise, even for a trained Bat. Dick narrowed his eyes as he got closer. _Is that __**blood **__smeared in the center? Maybe it really was a bird... _

He jumped a few feet backwards when the noise sounded again, louder this time, and he could make out the shape of a hand on the window. Dick stepped forward and cautiously looked out the glass pane, and what he saw made his stomach drop. It was Jason. He was holding his ribs and leaning against the pane.

Dick opened the window, slowly. Jason whipped his head around at the movement. They stared at each other with equally wild expressions for a moment, before they made a silent truce. Jason carefully stepped in the window, and Dick closed the window after him.

"Are you hurt?" Dick asked by compulsion.

"No shit," Jason murmured without ire. He was to tired to put true venom into the words. He was still clutching his ribs, and his hands were heavily bandaged. Dick stepped forward cautiously. Jason hated the look on the man he had once considered almost family. It was as if he was a feral dog, and Dick was afraid. He didn't want to cause fear, not to him.

"I'm not going to bite you." Jason slumped against the desk that Dick had been sitting at before Jason's appearance.

"Where are you hurt, Jay?" Dick asked softly, ignoring Jason's statement. A pang of sadness hit Jason's chest at the sound of his old pet name. It seemed like so long since he was called that... It seemed like long ago since he had a decent conversation with someone at all. Maybe this could be a start...

Before he realized what was happening, Jason had tears running down his cheeks.

"I don't know... I think I cracked a rib, and I bloodied my knuckles pretty bad, but otherwise...everything's alright." Dick slumped down next to Jason, making sure he was not physically touching him.

"How did you do that?" Dick asked quietly, gesturing to the bloody knuckles. Jason looked away from Dick's eyes, and continued to pretend like the tears weren't really there.

"That's why I came here... I did something pretty horrible," he cringed when he saw Dick's eyes fill with sympathy. _Can't he ever just be angry like Bruce? Maybe then I wouldn't feel so damn bad. _"I don't mean today, in fact I feel pretty damn good about what I did today. I did a lot of horrible things to you all earlier though."

"I'm not mad at you Jay-bird. I'm just really glad your home. I'm not really clear on the details..." Jason interrupted with an ironic chuckle.

"Neither am I. But I want you to know that I'm not the boy I was. That boy really is dead," Dick closed his eyes and a tear leaked out at Jason's words,"I'll never be the same."

"That's okay though, we can help you." Dick made eye contact with Jason again. His eyes were almost pleading. Jason shook his head, but didn't argue.

"That's not why I came tonight. I came tonight because... I realize it was wrong to not tell you when I came back. I just didn't know how to face any of you. You shouldn't have had to figure it out the way you did. So I just came to tell you what I did tonight..." Jason took a deep breath,"Tomorrow, you're going to find the Joker in an abandoned building by the pier. He's not dead, but I beat him pretty much senseless." To Jason's complete surprise, Dick started laughing. "What's so funny?"

"He's been in a body cast for months. Bruce got to him after we first encountered the Red Hoo- uh, you. He beat him until he couldn't move. The guards said he couldn't walk for weeks. But I didn't know that at the time, so when he got out of Arkham after that, I put him back into a body cast. He probably just got out of that a few days ago." Now it was Jason's turn to start laughing.

"So you mean we've each put him back in the hospital every time he comes out?"

"Ya." The boys laughed together so hard, they cried. Dick wrapped his arm around Jason's shoulder, and for a moment, it felt like old times, when they were brothers and nothing else really mattered. They talked after that.

They talked about old times, they talked about things that were new. 'How's Barbara? How's Tim? What's everybody been up to since I fell off the face of the Earth?' Jason asked most of the questions.

They laughed together, they cried together, and they fell asleep together, on the floor, with their backs against the wooden desk.

**()()()**

_Where is Dick?_ Bruce checked his son's room when he noticed it was to quiet upstairs in the Manor. He had just gotten back from studying his case files in the Cave. _He must be reading in the library, _he decided. Bruce went downstairs and made his way to the library when he was stopped cold by what he saw.

Jason Todd.

The thoughts ran through Bruce's mind at a mile a second. Anger flared in his stomach before turning to pain in his chest. He stayed perfectly still. He didn't want to speak to this man, the man that stole so much time of his life. Yet he also remembered the happy memories, he also remembered all the reasons this man was his son in so many ways.

All the hours of snarky remarks, all the hours of thinking he was being resented, all the hours of holding the boy after a night terror. He hated that he was so torn through the middle with both hatred, sadness, joy and nostalgia.

The memories of the _boy _brought up the joy and nostalgia, but the man he had become brought up the hatred and sadness. He longed for the easy days of having Jason by his side as Robin. That was when things were simple.

Now seeing the man who had betrayed him in so many ways, the man who tarnished all he stood for, he was surprised. It completely caught him off guard, which is not easy to do on any terms. He decided to get closer, using all of his stealth to not wake the two former Robins who were curled together. The anger flared up again when he saw tear streaks down Dick's face. _I swear if he hurt you, Dick...!_

The anger subsided when he saw matching tear streaks down the rougue's face. The rational part of him realised that if they had been fighting, Jason wouldn't have stayed around. He felt his heart break completely. He decided the feelings of joy and nostalgia won for the moment.

Had his sons reconciled? How did Jason end up here? There was no way Bruce could get answers without waking the two, and he knew he didn't have the strength to do that. So he wouldn't.

Bruce shook his head and moved back a few steps. He wiped the tears from his cheeks that he hadn't given permission to fall. He left the room and returned with a blanket large enough to cover both of the birds. He pulled one side around Dick first, then gently and slowly wrapped the other side around his other son.

_My other __**son**__. _He thought firmly. _Because that is exactly what Jason is_.

**A/N: All of your reviews are amazing! Seriously, I never would have thought of some of those... Don't worry, those ideas aren't going to waste! **


	4. Chili Dogs

**Chili Dogs**

"Jason, you don't have to be that irritating drunk guy that no one wants to get stuck in front of at every sporting event. You know that right?" Jason rolled his eyes at Tim and sat down with his beer. "We're supposed to be bonding," Tim reminded him of the reason Bruce was making them go to the Gotham Knights baseball game together.

"Ya, but why-" Jason suddenly stopped talking and started squinting across the stadium,"No freaking way." Tim craned his neck in the direction Jason was staring.

"What? What's wrong?"

"Is that Golden Boy and the Demon Child over there?" Jason pointed to the direction he was looking. Tim cocked his head sideways and sure enough he caught a glimpse of a ridiculously happy twenty-something that could only be Dick Grayson, with a gloomy shadow that had to be Damian Wayne.

"Why are they here?"

"How am I supposed to know, I didn't know they were here until just now," Jason reminded Tim.

"We should say hello." The Alfred voice in the back of Tim's head was telling him to be polite.

"They're to far away, and besides you and I both know that Dick was probably the one who suggested to Bruce that we do this little bonding trip." Tim was considering what Jason said when he saw out of the corner of his eye the very person they were talking about, waving at them. Jason groaned.

"Oh, it's not that bad. Just eat your chili dog and watch the game." Tim waved his hand. He knew the Gotham Knights would probably win the game tonight. He personally had a knack for memorizing numbers, and baseball stats were somewhat of a hobby for him. By the time he looked back up from the large stadium tv screen, Dick and Damian were near them.

"Hi Jay, hi Timmy!" Dick smiled at both of the former Robins.

"What are you doing here, Goldie?" Jason asked through a mouthful of chili dog. Dick rubbed the back of his neck.

"Uh, honestly I wanted to make sure you weren't going to kill each other..." Jason shook his head furiously at Dick's honest comment.

"Oh, no! We're bonding! Isn't that right, Replacement!" Jason sneered sarcastically at Tim.

"Jay," Dick complained,"Please will you just try."

"Damian looks just as happy to be here as Jason is," Tim mentioned. It was true. The silent boy was scowling at Dick's side. Damian opened his mouth for a rebuttle, but Dick cut him off.

"Guys, the national anthem is playing!" All of the batboys turned to the flag in the middle of the field.

()()()

"I'm hungry," Tim said out loud. He wasn't complaining or telling anyone in particular, just stating a fact. It was the bottom of the fourth inning and so far his predictions were coming true. The Gotham Knights were winning four to zero.

"Eat a chili dog," Jason suggested. It took Tim a moment to figure out what Jason had said because of the chili dog in Jason's mouth.

"How many have you had?" Jason shrugged.

"You can never have to many chili dogs," Jason answered in complete serioiusness. Tim quirked an eyebrow.

"Are they really _that_ good?" Jason's eyes got as large as saucers.

"Have you never had a chili dog?" Tim shook his head. Jason stuffed the last bit of chili dog into his mouth and swallowed quickly, he then immediately stood up and grabbed Tim's arm.

"Come on."

"Where are we going?" Tim asked, but followed Jason anyway, not that he had much of a choice.

"Ya, where are you two going?" Dick asked from his seat a row behind them. Truthfully, he was a little worried. He hadn't been paying attention to Jason and Tim in front of him, instead paying attention to Damian, who was surprisingly content with eating popcorn and people-watching.

"Chili dogs!" Jason called over his shoulder, as if that explained everything. He led Tim all the way up to the nearest stand that sold food and bought three.

"Why are you buying three?" Tim asked as Jason shoved one of the warm chili dogs in his hand.

"Because I want one, and after you have that one, you'll want another one." Jason led Tim back to their seats, and they sat down just as a Gotham Knights player hit a double. Jason did not wait for Tim to bit into his chili dog before eating part of his own. Tim slowly brought the food up to his mouth._ Ugh, it's so messy._ After biting into it, he looked to Jason, who was looking at him expectantly.

"Do you like it?"

"OhmygodThisIsTheBestThingI'veEverHadInMyWholeLife ," Tim exclaimed, although the words were muffled through the chili dog.

()()()

The rest of the game was spent with Jason and Tim sharing in the magical delight that are chili dogs, Damian catching a foul ball, and Dick getting the phone number of the girl who was sitting next to him.

The former Robins were exhausted by the time they got back to the Manor. Dick carried a sleeping Damian inside and Tim and Jason walked in after. They had all decided to crash at the Manor, in their old rooms. Bruce was sitting on the couch when the boys passed him. Jason and Tim kept talking and walking up the stairs, but Dick slowed down.

_ How'd it go? _Bruce mouthed, he didn't want to wake Damian. Dick gave a thumbs up with the hand that was resting on Damian's back. Bruce looked slightly surprised.

"Chili dogs," Dick whispered, as if that explained it. He then left to tuck Damian into bed, leaving Bruce completely puzzled.

**A/N: I'm working on your guy's suggestions as well! Sorry, this one just popped into my head (I just got home from watching the Royal's home game tonight, which is also the reason I'm posting so late). Also a guest review asked for some Tim Drake, and I realised that I'd been neglecting him completely!**

**Sorry Timmy;) **

**Thank you all for reading!**


	5. The Hobby

**The Hobby- (For Glimare)**

"Hi, Tim." Dick waved from his seat at the kitchen table. Alfred was pouring tea for him. Tim waved back politely.

"Hi, Dick. Have you seen the Demon Chi-uh, Damian?"

"Why are you looking for him?"

"Bruce wants to talk to him. It probably has something to do with the Robin symbols he put over everything."

"Over _everything_?" Dick asked.

"_Everything,_" Tim confirmed,"Even the Batarangs. I have _no idea _where he got that many Robin stickers..."

"You know there is a very strong possiblility that Jason is pranking us."

"Ya, but I'd rather see the little brat get yelled at." Dick rolled his eyes and itched at the heavy cast on his leg. It was the reason Tim had been covering the mission with Bruce rather than him.

"That's not very nice, Timmy," Dick chastised distractedly. Tim shrugged and continued walking upstairs to find Damian. When he got to the door that marked Damian's room, he knocked lightly. No answer.

"Hey brat, Bruce is pissed." No answer. _He's probably asleep..._ Tim stood at the door for a moment, trying to decide if he wanted to wake the boy or not. He weighed his options: See the look on Damian's face when he was getting a full blown Batglare, or let the little demon sleep like a princess. Tim grabbed the doorknob and twisted, pulling the door toward him slowly. When he saw Damian, sitting on his bed, not asleep, he was confused.

"Damian... are you... knitting?" Tim quirked his eyebrow. Damian, who just noticed Tim's presence, jumped slightly.

"Tt, no! Don't be an idiot, Drake!"

"Well then what the hell is it?" Tim gestured to the yarn in his hands. Damian looked away with a scowl on his face.

"It's... it's crochet."

"What's the difference!"

"The stitching!" Damian gave Tim a look that said he should have known that already. Tim narrowed his eyes in exasperation and lifted his hands.

"Why in the hell are you crochet... ing?" Damian pursed his lips and stuffed the yarn and supplies under his pillow.

"None of your business!" Damian stood up and rushed toward the door, but Tim caught the back of his shirt.

"Damian... how long have you had this... hobby?"

"...Well... when I shattered some ribs a year ago, I didn't have anything else to do..."

"So you looked up how to...?" Tim didn't know whether to say knit or crochet.

"Crochet," Damian finishished for him. The boys stared at each other for a while.

"It's stupid. What did you come in here for anyway?" Tim continued to stare at Damian and didn't answer his question.

"Damian, come with me." Tim didn't wait for a response, instead taking a hold of Damian's arm and dragging the boy behind him.

"Where are you taking me, Drake?" Tim continued ignoring the boy's questions and pulled him into his old room.

"Okay. I... I have to show you something... but you can't freak out." Damian shifted on his feet, he was starting to feel incredibly uncomfortable. He and Tim had never gotten along, not even close, so why did he want to share secrets now? Tim went over to his drawer and pulled out two items.

Knitting needles and yarn.

"No... way." Damian's mouth dropped. "There is no way you knit-"

"It's true, I swear-"

"-and still don't know what the difference between crochetand knitting!" Tim and Damian stared at each other for another long moment.

"Will... will you show me," Tim asked quietly.

()()()

"Where did Tim go?" Bruce asked Dick, who was sitting at the kitchen table, across from Alfred. Dick put his tea down.

"He went to get Dami. I heard about the... uh... sticker thing..." Dick trailed off. Bruce shook his head.

"I assume Jason was trying to frame Damian."

"That's what I was thinking," Dick agreed.

"But I still wanted to ask him about it, and Tim wanted to go get him..."

"You better go check on him," Dick suggested while nodding his head. Bruce nodded back and continued upstairs. He knocked on Damian's door a few times before twisting the knob.

"Boys? Are you in here?" Bruce found that he was talking to an empty room. He went to Tim's door next and repeated his actions.

"Boys?" He looked inside and saw Tim sprawled out on his back in the middle of the bed, while Damian sat cross legged on the floor. "Are you all right in here?"

"Fine," Tim and Damian answered simultaneously.

"Okay... I'm going to go back downstairs, but if you need me..." Bruce didn't want to disturb the two, he'd talk to Damian later,"I'll... be downstairs."

Bruce turned and walked back out the door. Were the boys... getting along? It looked like they were having a civilized conversation. When the door shut, Tim reached under his pillow and grabbed the knitting needles he had hidden, and Damian reached under the bed for the yarn.

"Okay, what's the next step?" Tim asked.

**A/N: I'm going to be turning these out pretty fast, all because of your guy's awesome reviews! I'll never say no to suggestions!**

**Glimare**** gave me the idea! (Thanks so much!)**

** Thanks for reading!**


	6. Overprotective

**Overprotective**

"Hey," Jason answered the phone curtly. He recognized the number as Bruce's.

"Jason, where's your brother?"

"Well, hello to you too, Daddybats!" Jason smiled sarcastically even though he knew Bruce couldn't see him.

"Jason," he could practically see Bruce clutching the bridge of his nose and sighing,"Do you know where Dick is?" Jason took his feet off the coffee table and shifted the phone to his other hand.

"Nope." He heard Bruce sigh again.

"Damian's school called and said he got in a fight, but I'm currently in Venice for this business merger," Bruce explained. A blossom of emotion unfolded in Jason's chest at the word 'fight.' _Why do I feel so protective of the little punk? _

"What do you want me to do about it?"

"Dick is Damian's emergency contact, but he's not answering his phone. I thought you would know where he was." Jason did not miss the subtle edge of panic in his father's voice.

"Do you want me to pick up Damian?" Jason asked. There was complete silence on the other end of the line for a few seconds. "Bruce?"

"...I'm trying to answer in a way that won't start a fight..." The Billionaire answered.

"So I guess that's a 'no,'" Jason laughed, " Understood, B-man. You go call the Replacement, and see if he knows where dick-head is,"Jason said without ire in his voice. Bruce was shocked by the good natured answer for a moment.

"Jason?"

"Ya?"  
Thank you." Bruce hung up. Jason smiled for a moment before going outiside to his bike. _Sorry Bruce, I can't leave the little Demon alone at that school. One of his brothers has to pick him up, so I guess it has to be me._

**()()()**

"Hello, this is Tim Drake," Tim answered cheerfully.

"Tim, do you know where Dick is?"

"He's not at home?"

"Alfred said he was unaccounted for," Bruce explained. Tim thought for a moment before replying.

"He's probably with Wally or Roy, don't worry about him," he soothed.

"It's not just that I'm worried..." Bruce sighed,"Damian's school called. He supposedly got into a fight at school and Dick is supposed to pick him up."

Tim's nose twitched. As much as his younger brother irritated him to no end, he was angry that someone was picking on him.

"Did he start it?" He asked, always the detective.

"They didn't say." Tim made a 'hmm' sound while he thought. _No one should be picking on Damian but me. That's my job._ He thought sourly. He knew it was poor logic, but it was making him surprisingly angry.

"I'll call Barbara next, don't worry about it, Tim. It'll be fine. Bye."

"Bye, Bruce." Tim put his cell phone back in his pocket. _I'll pick up the minibat... and maybe have a little chat with this bully of his..._

**()()()**

"Hi, Bruce," Barbara answered after reading the caller I.D. on her cell phone.

"Do you have any idea where my oldest son is?" Bruce asked for the third time that day. Barbara looked across the table at the man Bruce was looking for.

"Sure, we're eating dinner together."

"Oh great, may I speak to him?" Bruce answered in a monotone, although he was much more relieved than he let on. Barbara handed the phone to Dick.

"Hey, Bru-"

"Can you pick Damian up from school?" Bruce cut him off. Dick looked at his Rolex watch.

"It's 1:30..."

"They called... They said Damian was involved in a fight today." Dick's stomach dropped, and his heart was filled with concern.

"Is he okay?!" _Damian. _Dick mouthed to Barbara.

"He's fine, they just need you to talk with the principal, since I can't go."

"Sure, I'll head over there!" Dick hung up the phone and gave Barbara an apologetic look. He handed her the phone back. "Dami got in a fight."

"Did he start it?"

"I don't know... I'm sorry, Babs, Bruce needs me to pick him up..." She nodded at him.

"Go rescue your little brother. I'll take a cab."

"Thank you, Babs, you're the greatest!" He gave her his most charming smile.

"I know," She winked,"Now go rescue Damian!"

**()()()**

Jason made it to the school at the same time Tim did.

"What are you doing here?" Jason asked when he saw his younger brother.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Tim countered.

"Bruce told me about Damian, so I'm here to beat the shit out of the kid who did it," Jason answered first.

"What if Damian _started _the fight?" Tim asked. Jason shrugged. Before Tim could ask another question, they saw a familiar looking car pull up, and an even more familiar looking man start walking toward them.

"What are you two doing here?" Dick asked when he got close enough.

"We're here for the kid." Tim answered,"Bruce called us."

Dick sighed at his two siblings. _I know they mean well but... Jay's probably not even supposed to be within 600 feet of this school, and Timmy's just going to want to interrogate the other kid involved..._

"You two wait outside the office while I talk to the principal."

"But Dick-!"

"No buts. I'm his guardian and I'll take care of this," Dick pulled his no nonsense voice, which sounded almost _identical_ to their father's.

"Why do you get to do it!" Jason argued.

"Because I'm the oldest, and most responsible. Also I don't have homicidal tendicies," he added specifically to Jason, who groaned.

"Agreed," Jason consented,"Can I just please have 5 minutes with the kid who hit him?"

"No!" Dick answered over his shoulder, already on his way to the office.

When he made it to the office, he was gestured inside by the woman he recognised as the principal. He saw a large boy in one chair, his mother behind him, and an uncharacteristically sorrowful looking Damian in the other. Dick shook the hand of the principal and gave her a disarming smile.

"Mr. Grayson, it's nice to see you again. I regret the circumstances, however."

"I agree, Mrs. Meyer, but I was preoccupied at the time of the phone call, so my information is a bit lacking..."

"Why doesn't Mr. Wayne explain," She gestured to Damian,who was inspecting the floor. "Mr. Wayne?" She repeated. But Damian didn't answer, instead he wrapped his arms around himself. Dick really wanted to give the ten year old a hug, but knew it would not be appropriate.

"He attacked me in the middle of the hallway!" The other boy yelled and pointed at Damian. Dick looked at the kid and studied him. He looked a few years older than Damian, and was at least twice his size. "I was just walking and he flipped out on me!" Mrs. Meyer held her hand up to silence the boy.

"Roger, let's let Damian explain." She turned to face the ten year old.

"I... I'm sorry," Damian let out a painful sounding whisper, before standing up and quickly leaving the room. Dick stood to follow him but Roger's mother suddenly spoke up.

"You're lucky I don't sue you Mr. Wayne!"

"It's Grayson-Wayne actuall-"

"I don't care what they call you, you're boy _assulted_ my son!"

"I assure you that Damian has an explination-"

"There is no reason that little _brat_ should have attacked my son!"

"Now wait just a minute! My _brother_ wouldn't just go attack people. There must have been a reason, and if you let me get him so he can _explain_-"

"He should be expelled! He's a threat to this school!"

**()()()**

Damian leaned against the principal's office door with his head in his hands. _I'm sorry, Grayson... I didn't mean to cause so much trouble. _

"Demon! I mean... Damian!" Jason exclaimed when he saw the boy.

"What are you doing here, Todd?" Tim came to stand beside Jason. "You too, Drake?"

"What happened, Damian? You haven't been in any fights in so long..." Tim tried to ask gently. Damian bit his lip, and Tim was amused for a moment when he realised that the ten year old was picking up Dick's habits.

"Leave me alone," Damian replied before stalking off. It was then that the office door opened and Dick came out in an angry huff.

"Where did he go?" Dick asked the two former Robins. They pointed in the direction Damian went and Dick followed so quickly, he forgot to praise Tim and Jason for actually doing what they were told and staying out of the office. Tim and Jason shared a look.

"Should we go talk to this kid?" Jason suggested. Okay, so much for doing what they were told.

"Ya, I think he needs to know to not mess with our brother."

**()()()**

** A/N: I had to break this one into two parts. The next one will be up very soon. Also I want to note that I fixed the last chapter. I had used ****Glimare****'s idea, but I didn't give credit! (So sorry!) **


	7. Overprotective Part 2

**Overprotective Part 2**

**A/N: This is the second part, and I promise Bruce will be in it in the end.**

Jason twisted the doorknob and entered the office, where he saw a large kid and his mother, and a surprised looking principal.

"Can I help you?" She asked after a moment.

"Ya," Jason shrewdly pointed at the kid,"Is this the bastard that hit my brother?"

Every non-Wayne in the room was comically surprised at the outburst. Tim gave a very nervous laugh, and grabbed Jason's shoulder, shoving him aside.

"What Jason is trying to say is that we're here for our sibling, Damian Wayne," He explained in a much more civilized manor than Jason.

"I'm afraid it's confidential to anyone not on his contacts list-" The principal started to explain.

"-We're not on the list? We're his brothers!" Jason interrupted.

"But... not... on the list..." Mrs. Meyer was trying to explain gently. She looked slightly frightened of Jason.

"We're just concerned about him..." Tim tried to calm the situation.

"I understand your reasoning, but I still can't let you have details unless you can prove that you really are related." _Have neither one of us ever visited this school?_ Tim wondered frantically.

"Our last names are hyphanated 'Wayne,' lady. Do you think we did that for fun?" Jason gave the woman a shrewd look. _This man-Jason, is what the other man addressed him as-sure a__**cts**__ like Damian... _ Mrs. Meyer was thinking as she studied Jason.

The office slowly turned into chaos as the former Robins took over. Just as Dick suspected, Tim asked the boy, Roger, all about the incident. His mother kept telling him to stay quiet, so he didn't say much anyway. Jason was quarreling with the principal. It escalated until the previously mild-mannered principal finally got up and ushered the men out of the room. She slumped against the door after finally getting them outside and gave a sigh.

"I'm sorry, they should be back soon and we can continue this quickly and efficiantly..." _These Wayne's are going to be the death of me. So much trouble... _

**()()()**

"Damian? Dami?" Dick searched the hallways for his youngest brother. He stopped calling the boy's name when he saw him leaning against a wall in an empty hallway. He knelt down to eye level and tried to get the boy to make eye contact with him. "Are you alright?"

"I'm so sorry, Grayson. Please don't send me back to Mother's, _please_," Damian begged. Dick shook his head.

"I would never." Damian searched his eyes for a moment to make sure it was true. "Will you please tell me what this is all about now?" Dick hated how Damian looked so uncharacteristically young.

"Roger..."

"The boy you fought with?"

"Ya... He... he said something terrible to me..." Dick nodded in understanding.

"You mean in the hallway?"

"Ya."

"So you hit him?"

"Ya."

"You can't hit people just because they say mean things to you, Little D." Dick put his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"But he says mean things to me all the time! He calls me names, and makes fun of my accent, and says that..." Damian's eyes watered up. Dick suddenly got very nervous. Whatever could hurt Damian was serious.

"It's okay, Dami. You can tell me." A paternalistic anger flared in Dick's stomach, and he felt like punching this Roger kid straight in the face, but he made sure to keep his voice soft.

"He said Father is away on business all the time because he is ashamed of me, and that you only take care of me because... you..." he looked away,"I don't want to say it..." Dick cringed at Damian's words. He remembered growing up. He remembered what the other boys would imply about his guardian. He took a deep breath.

"I take care of you because you're my brother. Even if Bruce is back now, I still feel responsible for you. I take care of you because I love you, Dami. Don't let anyone try to tell you differently."

"I'm sorry I hit him... I just wanted it to stop." Dick pulled the boy into a hug.

"I know. You could've told us someone was bullying you."

"I just wanted it to go away. I thought if I ignored him it would." Damian's words were muffled as he pressed his face into Dick's collarbone.

"Don't be afraid to speak up if someone's hurting you. Emotionally or physically. Your not being a tattletale by telling an adult." Dick pushed Damian back a little bit to look at him. "He didn't hurt you did he?"

"No, he called me names and I just turned around and decked him. Nothing else really happened." Dick nodded and straightened up.

"Let's go tell the principal your side of the story." Damian nodded.

"Thanks, Grayson," he mumbled. Dick smiled.

"No problem, Dami. I was the rich foreign kid in school too." Damian stopped. It never occurred to him that he was not the only one in the family that had a bully.

"Did _you_ ever have problems like this?" Dick gave an ironic snort and started walking with Damian.

"I was the little Romani kid who grew up in a circus, and really enjoyed math." Damian gave a small laugh and nodded. He decided he felt much better now that his problem was out in the open.

Dick had his hand on Damian's shoulder all the way to the office, when they passed Tim and Jason sitting in the chairs outside the door. Dick raised an eyebrow at the two pouting former Robins.

"We got kicked out," Tim explained.

"We just wanted to talk to the little snot that was a dick to Damian," Jason pouted.

"Jason, we're in a school, watch your language." Dick chastised over his shoulder as he opened the office door.

"Should we come in?"

"No!" Dick added.

**()()()**

A little while later the discussion was over, and Roger was getting several days of suspension, while Damian got a day of detention. Dick and Damian exited the office, after a very angry looking mother and Roger. Dick shook hands with the principal and gestured for Tim and Jason to exit the building with them.

Jason and Tim asked Damian a million questions, which Damian answered sourly, nowhere near as open as he was with Dick, although deep down he basked in the thought that all his brothers had rushed to the school for him.

Dick made Jason go home without beating the tar out of Roger, and if anyone asked Dick, Damian, and Tim if Jason was pouting because of it, they would say no, but only out of worry that Jason would hunt them down. So after Tim and Jason went back to their respective apartments, and Dick took Damian back to the Manor, Dick rememered to call Bruce.

"Hello," Bruce answered in his usual monotone, but Dick could hear the trace of curiousity.

"Dami's fine," Dick answered immediately.

"I saw he has detention."

"Did you hack the school computer?"

"Of course." Dick rolled his eyes at his father. "Would you call Jason and Tim and tell them what happened too? I called them earlier when I was looking for you and I could tell they were worried..." Dick rubbed his temples.

"Oh, I they know, Bruce, they know."

"Do you think they hacked the school computer too?"

"No... just... no." Dick chuckled. "They've already given Damian big brother talks too."

"Really? Even Tim?"

"Ya, even Tim. Are you coming home tomorrow?" Dick suddenly changed subjects. Bruce smiled a little bit at the eagerness in his son's tone.

"I should be home around 5. I really appreciate you picking up Damian for me," Bruce added sincerely.

"No, problem, Bruce. What else are favorite sons for?" Bruce chuckled and shook his head even though he knew his oldest son couldn't see.

"Good night Dick."

"You mean 'Good night my favorite son,'" Dick corrected.

"Good night Dick," Bruce restated with humor.

"'Night Bruce, see you tomorrow," Dick said sincerely.

_I don't pick favorites, Dickie. _Bruce thought after he hung up, even though he knew there was always a very special spot for his oldest in his heart. He loved his children in all different ways, all the same. _And however you always get all of my sons in the same room as each other without killing each other is an absolute mystery to me, Dickie._

**A/N: So that's part 2! Thank you for reading!**


	8. Jason's Language

**Jason's Language**

Dick had all of his brothers figured out pretty well. He knew when Damian wanted a hug, or when Jason needed help, and a million other things that he figured out, simply by being their big brother. He knew that each one of his brother's had their own languages.

He knew when Damian was saying 'I love you,' which was much the way Bruce said it, and he knew when Tim was silently asking for space. He knew when Jason was begging for someone to hear him, and he knew when he just wanted to be broody.

It did surprise him, however, when he got to Wayne Manor early in the day to find that Jason, Tim and Damian were at the dinner table.

"Is everyone okay?" Dick immediately asked.

"Ya, sure... I mean generally," Jason answered.

"Well then, no offense or anything, but... why are you all here?"

"I live here," Damian answered immediately.

"I needed some of Bruce's tech for a mission I'm doing with the Titans," Tim explained.

"I needed some new tech, too. My helmet got busted, and since this is like the fourth one I've lost or broke this month, this was the only place to get a new one."

Dick nodded at them as he sat down at the table.

"And the reason you are here?" Damian tried to sound uninterested as he asked the question, but some curiousity made it's way into his inflection.

"Am I the only one who makes visits here just _because_?" Dick smiled at the other former Robins, and one current Robin. They laughed, and shrugged. Dick kept to himself that today the real reason he had visited was because of the terrible night he had last night. He had been beaten pretty much senseless by the Joker until he got himself out of the situation and showed up at Barbara's apartment where she patched him up.

"Grayson, your teeth are pink," Damian pointed out after a moment.

"It looks like you ate to much frosting," Tim laughed. Dick used his toungue to wipe the top front of his teeth and gave Tim a smile.

"Or suffered from internal hemorraging, and the blood stained your teeth," Jason deadpanned without looking up from the newspaper he was reading. The room went mostly silent, while Tim and Damian took turns looking back and forth between their oldest two brothers with wide eyes. Dick's eyes were wide as well and his mouth dropped open slightly as he stared at Jason. After a few seconds of slightly awkward silence, Jason looked up at Dick.

"Was I right?"

"Uhh..." Dick froze in his seat, it was obvious that Jason's comment had caught him off guard. "There wasn't _that_ much blood..."

"You should be more careful." Jason once again went back to reading his newspaper. Dick smiled, and didn't even care that the teeth that showed were still slightly pink, because he knew that that was Jason's language for _I care about you._

Bruce came in the room to see Damian and Tim looking stunned at their older brothers, and Dick giving Jason a wide smile. He was slightly alarmed to see that his oldest son's teeth were stained the same pink he recognised as bloodstained, and he noticed his posture was stiffer than it would normally be, but the boys at least seemed to be getting along.

"Hey B-man, I was just leaving," Jason said as he stood up.

"You can stay for breakfast, Jay," Dick offered, because he knew Bruce wanted to.

"That's okay," Jason handed Bruce the newspaper and headed toward the door. As he walked by Dick, he patted him gently on his shoulder, Jason's language for a hug, and walked out.

Tim couldn't help the sappy grin grow on his face, and even Damian and Bruce looked stunned. Bruce shook his head in disbelief before picking up the paper, half expecting it to say something about the Joker donating money to charity with the way the day had been going.

Bruce almost asked what had provoked the often rougue bird to open up, but decided against it, happy that for at least a little while, his strange little family wasn't falling apart.

**A/N: Guys I am so sorry. I haven't been posting at all for a while, and this chapter is really short. My aunt unexpectantly died and it's been pretty hard... Sorry. I am in the middle of writing a much longer chapter, I'm not sure when it will be finished, but I'll try my best to make it soon. Thank you for those who read my writing:)**


	9. Sacrifice

**Sacrifice**

_Oh God. Oh, God, no._ This wasn't supposed to happen. _Please, please, no. _Dick begged in his mind as he tried picking the shards of splintered wood from the gaping wound where it had impaled his little brother.

He couldn't help but cringe every time he heard a sob from the younger boy when he hit the main part of the stake that was puncturing the skin. He wiped his blue fingerstriped gloves on his forehead several times to rid himself of the sweat dripping down his face. Flames licked the fallen wood near his right side and the heat was torturous, but there was no way he would leave Damian behind.

No way in Hell.

**()()()**

The warehouse was one of the oldest ones in Gotham, evidenced by the fact that the rafters were still made of wood.

Batman, Red Robin, Nightwing, Robin, and even Red Hood had answered the police's cry for help to rescue the hostages the Joker had tortured and left in the building. He had gotten away, but the civilians were left. They had mostly suceeded, getting 13 out of the 16 originally inside, when the bomb had gone off.

Neither the police, nor the vigilantes expected the blast, but miraculously the entire Batfamily was outside of the building when it detonated. The bomb left half of the building demolished, and the other half ablaze with a deadly fire. Batman searched out his four sons, and gave them each a strict order to stay out of the hazardous building.

"Nightwing, _promise me_," he commanded his oldest, and most head-strong son.

"Batman there's still three civilians left-"

"Leave them to me. Do _not_ go in. If you got... hurt... I... Don't go in." He gave his son a strong look before putting on his rebreather and turning toward the wreckage. _Sorry Batman. I can't just stand by._ Nightwing thought. He waited for his former mentor to vanish inside the building for a few seconds before going after him.

Meanwhile, Robin straightened from his position when he saw his oldest brother entering the burning warehouse.

"You. Medic," He shrewdly pointed to a passing man in a hospital uniform,"Set this civilian's leg for me. I am needed elsewhere._ Grayson is not competant enough to complete this task. _He tried to convince himself that was the only reason he was going after his brother.

Red Robin and Red Hood stood back for a moment after directing the firetrucks to the safest route to the warehouse.

"Is that... is that Robin?" Red Robin pointed to the cape fluttering into the warehouse entrance. Red Hood squinted and saw the edge of the cape before it disappeared inside.

"It better not be," he said as he strode toward the building. _Is he trying to get himself killed?_ Red Robin followed Hood into the warehouse.

Finding Robin wasn't as simple as Red Hood and Red Robin had originally thought. The inside of the warehouse immediately gave both of boys a coughing fit, and they had to pull out their rebreathers. The smoke made it difficult to see in front of them.

Nightwing was searching for the civilians at the same time as he was hoping to run into Batman. He wanted to know his father was safe. Then he saw a flash of yellow. He rushed toward it, thinking it was a civilian. When he got close, his heart dropped as he realised it was Robin.

"What are you doing here?" He shouted at Robin. The younger boy spun around at his voice, he had not heard Nightwing come in.

"Rescuing your sorry as-"

"Robin, Nightwing?" Robin was interrupted by a deep, gravelly voice. "I told you both to stay outside." _Where it's safe._ Batman added in his head. He was fuming. Absoulutely furious. _They defied my orders._

"Did you find the civvies?" Nightwing ignored Batman's concern.

"I _told_ you to stay outside," Batman repeated through gritted teeth.

"Woah... bad place to plan a meet up guys," Red Hood quipped as he and Red Robin spotted the other members of the Batfamily.

"You boys too?" _How did __**all**__ of my boys end up in the collapsing building? ...Oh, shit. The __**collapsing**__ building..._ "We have to keep moving. You boys find a way out, I'll grab the last few hostages and follow."

"So you _did_ find them?" Nightwing asked. Batman paused for a moment

"No. But it shouldn't take long-"

"No, then you come with us. We have to get out of here now," Red Robin interrupted with his command as the foundations of the building creaked. Flames licked the walls, and the heat was becoming more than just uncomfortable. Batman looked around at his stubborn, serious looking sons. He gave a curt nod.

"That way." He pointed through the hallway. They started off in the direction Batman had gestured to. They made progress until the creaking ceiling started to come down. Nightwing dodged a large beam that would have hit him if his reflexes weren't so quick. He grabbed Robin's shoulder to try and hustle him forward.

Batman watched with discontent as the beams started to fall more frequently, each noise causing him to scan the ash-filled room for his sons, each crash bringing the parental fear of losing a child into his heart.

They could finally see firefighters distantly, and headed toward them, when a beam fell. Nightwing jumped backwards, taking Robin with him, as Red Robin pulled Red Hood back to make sure he was not crushed as well. All of the members of the Batfamily stood still for a moment, waiting for the dust to settle. When they opened their eyes, they realised that the beam had brought down much of the ceiling, leaving Robin,Nightwing, Red Robin and Red Hood trapped on the other side, away from Batman.

"You okay, little bird?" Nightwing coughed and squeezed Robin's shoulder.

"No," Robin replied curtly, he was breathing heavily and Nightwing sucked in a quick breath of air as he saw the piece of wood in his shoulder.

"Is everyone okay?" Red Robin coughed and asked at the same time. Red Hood gave him a nod and stood up. Robin cried out when Nightwing's gloved hand touched the wound on his shoulder, and Red Hood and Red Robin rushed over.

"Oh... _Christ,_" Red Hood whispered.

"My foot's caught as well," Robin gestured to the heavy beam that was preventing him from moving.

"Where's Batman?" Nightwing asked as he continued searching Robin for injuries.

"He's on the other side of the beam, close to the exit," Red Robin answered.

"Can you two get out?" Nightwing asked.

"We can probably find a weak spot in the beam..."

"Then go."

"What about y-" Red Hood started to say.

"I'll stay here and get Robin out, you two go ahead." Red Hood shook his head at his oldest brother's suggestion.

"We aren't leaving you here." Another beam crashed at the end of Red Hood's sentence, and Nightwing wiped more sweat from his brow.

"I wasn't asking." Nightwing was growing desperate.

"We won't leave," Red Robin spoke up. The beam directly above the boy's heads creaked as fire weakened it, it began to sizzle and they could tell it was coming down soon.

"Go _now,_" Nightwing pulled out his best Batman voice, which was incredibly convincing, but Red Hood and Red Robin shook their heads.

"As horribly cheesy as it sounds... never leave a man behind!" Red Hood yelled. The beam groaned above them, and Red Robin threw himself over Robin's form, Red Hood moved to cover Red Robin's head with his own body, and Nightwing wrapped his arms around all three of them and tucked them underneath him. Then the world went dark for all four boys.

**()()()**

Nightwing sat up and coughed. It felt like his lungs were on fire, and he imagined his brain would start leaking out of his ears soon, because it felt like it had melted. When he stopped coughing, he layed back down and closed his eyes. He took deep, controlled breaths of the oxygen. _Oxygen?_ He shot straight up into a sitting position, which caused him to start coughing again, but he ignored it.

He rubbed his hands on the grass beneath him in disbelief. He was outside, but how? And where were his brothers? He looked around him and noticed the bright red ambulance and saw the paramedics and firefighters going around from person to person to offer help. Everything was blurry and his brain still felt like a slushy, so he was almost certain he had a concussion.

He felt a hand tap his shoulder, and the world spun when he turned his head, so he closed his eyes for a minute, but when he opened them he saw the distinct outline of a dark cowl. Even if his eyes wouldn't focus completely, he knew this person anywhere. He lurched forwards and wrapped his arms around Batman. He felt like he was eight years old again.

Batman wrapped his cape around Nightwing and lifted him to stand, although he took much longer than needed and it ended up a half-hug as well. Nightwing was so happy to be standing with clean air and grass underneath his feet and his former mentor's hand on his shoulder that it took him a moment to register that Batman was trying to talk to him. When he squinted to focus on Batman's mouth he could see it was moving. Words were coming out, but he couldn't hear right. He dropped to his knees as his head spun more.

Batman cringed as he collapsed, and decided to carry him to the Batmobile. He scooped him up bridal style and made his way to the car, trying to not jar Nightwing as much as possible. He put him in the car next to Red Robin in the backseat.

"Is he okay?" Red Robin took off his oxygen mask for a moment to ask. Batman nodded.

"Where did Red Hood go?"

"Outside, I think he coughed so much that he started throwing up..."

"Get him back in here, we need to get Robin home." Batman pointed to the youngest hero, who was passed out in the front seat.

After a moment of getting all of the boys back into the Batmobile, Batman sped off to the Batcave, where a worried Alfred was waiting for them. Batman carried Nightwing to the medical wing, and Red Robin carried Robin. Red Hood almost immediately started coughing again, but quickly strode after his brothers.

**()()()**

Dick opened his eyes and looked around the room. The sheets were starch white, and the room had the specific smell that he knew only belonged to hospitals and the medic wing in the Cave. Even as his head ached, he turned his head to see the other beds beside him. He saw Damian lying in the next one over.

"Dami-" Dick cut off his whisper as his brain pounded against his skull. _Okay, so talking... bad idea..._ He reached his nearest arm to the bed beside him and had almost reached the boy when he heard his name.

"Dick?" It was Bruce. He quickly came to Dick's side. "Are you okay?"

"Head hurts..." Dick whispered.

"You have a pretty severe concussion so I'm not surprised."

"You covered us from most of the debris, and got hit in the head pretty hard." Dick heard a new voice, this one belonged to Tim. When he looked toward it, he saw Tim and Jason standing in the doorway.

"How long have I been out?"

"Three days," Bruce answered.

"Damian...?"

"Is fine," Bruce finished the question,"His shoulder was pretty bad, but we got the shards out and reset his ankle." Dick breathed a sigh of relief that he didn't know he was holding.

"Grayson?" Damian spoke up from the medical bed.

"Ya, Dami?"

"Thank you for staying with me... I... I understand you could have saved yourself from injury... actually all of you..." Tim shrugged and gave a genuinly humble smile, and Jason ran a hand threw his hair and shrugged as well.

"Never leave a man behind," Dick whispered as he shut his eyes.

**A/N: Thank you all so much who offered condolenses and support for me. This chapter is my thanks to all of you:) Thanks for reviews!**


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